3 Reasons Your Energy Bill is So High

December 24, 2018

Sometimes your energy bill increases due to retailer-specific reasons over your own usage habits, and it’s important to consider changes that may have occurred with your retailer since your last bill when encountering bigger numbers than you expected.

These factors may answer your questions on why your energy bill has spiked:

#1 Keeping Appliances Connected to Power

Chances are, you’re not looking to blame your television first when you’re landed with a hefty energy bill. You might think that turning your TV off for the night stops its power usage, but the truth is your TV continues to sap electricity so long as it’s plugged in.

The power button on a modern TV set switches the device into standby mode, allowing for a quicker restart when you turn it back on. Other devices like computers, microwaves, alarm clocks and even coffee makers also remain in an idle state when not in use.

To avoid your energy bill rising from appliances constantly drawing power, unplug them at the source when they’re not in use. You should see a noticeable difference in your next energy bill for it!

#2 Using Old Appliances

Technology has come leaps and bounds in making household appliances more energy-efficient in the past decade.

If you’re using a dated model of dishwasher, refrigerator or washing machine, there’s a good chance ol’ faithful is a big contributor to your high energy bill.

It might seem counterproductive to buy expensive new appliances when your goal is to save money, but the payoff could well be worth it. Modern fridges use 40 to 60 percent less energy than their early 2000s and older predecessors – that’s a considerable chunk off your appliance energy consumption.

#3 Change of Seasons

You can’t change the seasons, but you can be aware of their effect on your energy bill.

Summer and winter are renowned seasons for higher energy bills, as the use of heating appliances and air conditioning leads to much more energy consumption than you’d see in comfortable weather.

While you have the option to swap air conditioning for a fan to cut energy costs in summer, there’s often little you can do to avoid using a heating device in the winter months, and you’ll find your energy bills reflecting this regular usage.